On Saturday, September 19, William Shatner took the stage at Park West in Chicago to perform his first-ever heavy metal show, bringing his newly formed band, The *uckers, to life ahead of a scheduled appearance at Riot Fest.
Exploring Distortion with All-Star Metal Veterans
Shatner did not step into the heavy metal arena alone. He assembled an elite backing lineup for The *uckers, featuring guitarist and musical director Marcus Nand, who has previously collaborated with Mike Tramp and Candice Night. Bass duties were handled by Phil Soussan, a seasoned rocker best known for his work with Ozzy Osbourne.
The synergy between the veteran musicians and the iconic actor turned heads across the venue. Prior to taking the stage, Phil Soussan shared his excitement about joining forces with a childhood hero, noting that playing alongside the original Captain Kirk felt like a definitive bucket-list moment. Shatner himself embraced the aesthetic shift with characteristic wit, sharing on social media that his career trajectory had officially evolved: “I have explored space. I have explored time. Now … I explore distortion.”
The Genesis of ‘What The F Is Heavy Metal?’
The unexpected pivot into heavy metal originated from a casual conversation with his longtime record label, Cleopatra Records. Speaking to The Moynihan Report, Shatner revealed that when the label initially suggested a heavy metal project, his genuine reaction inspired both the title and the thematic approach of the album. After listening to Guns N’ Roses’ track “Patience,” he and his collaborators even penned a companion song titled “Impatience.”
Rather than treating the genre as a novelty, Shatner approached the project with the analytical curiosity of an outsider. He focused on the raw psychological undercurrents of the music, concluding that heavy metal is fundamentally driven by intense, passionate human emotions. That artistic vision attracted heavy-hitting guest contributors to the forthcoming album, including Queen guitarist Brian May, Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi, Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford, Disturbed bassist John Moyer, and former Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo.
Riders, Fest Demands, and Future Stages
True to his larger-than-life persona, Shatner’s introduction to the festival circuit came with a famously eccentric list of demands for Riot Fest organizers. Once he agreed, his rider specified a bowl of sauerkraut, an army of fire-breathers, a Montreal Canadiens hockey sweater signed by John Stamos, four feet of Polish sausage, and an assortment of adoptable puppies sourced from a local rescue nonprofit.
The momentum behind The *uckers appears poised to extend far beyond the Chicago weekend. During a recent interview with CNN, Shatner hinted at a 30-minute festival set scheduled for the spring of 2027 in the desert, an appearance confirmed by family members to be Coachella. As the actor continues to push creative boundaries following his recovery from a 2023 melanoma diagnosis, his transition into heavy metal proves that musical reinvention has no age limit. What other classic rock anthems do you think Shatner should add to his heavy metal repertoire next?
